This is part of our on-going series “Underrated/Overrated”. Today we will feature in-park quick service locations which we consider to be hidden gems.
Quick service is a staple of most people’s dining experience at WDW. These locations allow you to get a quick bite to eat so you can stay fueled without taking a lot of time out of your day. While WDW does offer standard theme park fair, like chicken nuggets, burgers, and frozen pizza, there are plenty of locations that serve some really delicious food on the go. Some are very well known to most aficionados; however, this article is more about those places which are just as good, but may not get a lot of love.
The risk of doing a post like this is that these secret places will no longer be so secret anymore. But at Buster and the Banshee, we are here to serve you!
MAGIC KINGDOM: Pinocchio Village Haus
The main draw of this location are its flatbreads. The Gourmet Cheese Flatbread isn’t your typical “cheese and tomato sauce” pizza. They use a blend of three cheese to elevate it from the ordinary. The Margherita Flatbread is also a nice choice with its fresh tomatoes and a nice balsamic drizzle. They even have an interesting and inventive Berbere Chickpea Flatbread which is really tasty! All the ones we tried were definitely a step above the stereotypical theme park pizza.
There is plentiful seating both inside and outside. The inside dining area is really quaint, with lots of park wood and beautiful themed murals. If you are lucky you can score a table that overlooks the loading area for It’s a Small World.
One might argue that this isn’t really a hidden gem since it is as very high traffic area of the Magic Kingdom and it does get crowded from time to time. However, we would argue that most people end up there out of convenience rather than as a destination unto itself. However, it definitely deserved to be talked about more for the quality of its offerings.
EPCOT: Katsura Grill
Katsura Grill literally is a hidden gem. It is tucked away behind the water gardens at the Japan Pavilion, and getting there almost feels like a trek up Mount Fuji. In fact, I would venture a guess that most people didn’t even realize that there is a quick service restaurant here, since it is so far off the beaten path. However, it is worth it for the serene view, and the quiet setting.
Katsura Grill serves what you would expect from a Japanese eatery: sushi, noodles, <insert your protein here> teriyaki. However, there is one menu item which we found to be quite surprising at first: Chicken Cutlet Curry. While you might not think of Japan when you see the word “curry”, it is a relatively popular staple of Japanese cuisine. Apparently, it was introduced to Japan by British Royal Navy sailors coming to and from India (a British territory at the time). It was adopted by the Japanese Navy and then by the population as a whole.
Japan’s version of curry is more subtle than its more well known Indian brethren, so those who don’t like spicy foods should not be turned off by it. It is definitely a more unique item from Japanese cuisine that many Americans may not be familiar with, so it is worth a try.
ANIMAL KINGDOM: Kusafiri Coffee Shop and Bakery
Animal Kingdom suffers from the opposite problem as Epcot. While nothing at Epcot is truly overlooked, Animal Kingdom is routinely overlooked as a food destination. There are so many great meals that you can get from the variety of carts and stands that you can find around the park. However, many people just walk right by them on their way to their favorite ride.
Kusafiri is a perfect example of this.
The first reason why Kusafiri is overlooked is the name. It says “Coffee Shop and Bakery” so you would assume that this is just a place to go to in the morning to get your Cup of Joe and a muffin. And yes you can do that. However, as a bakery, it is just okay. What it really should be known for are its non-breakfast entrees.
Let’s start with the Spiced Hand Pies. These are essentially large samosas, but calling them that doesn’t do them justice. The insides are wonderfully spiced and the pies themselves are topped with an amazing harissa aioli. It is just so favorful. Plus they live up to their “hand pie” billing in that you can easily eat them while walking about or waiting on line.
They also have two varieties of flatbreads. The chicken wrap is filled with chicken (duh!), a cucumber salad, and a tahini sauce. The pork wrap is similar, except replace the tahini with the harissa aioli that was used on the hand pies. The amount of salad far exceed the size of the flatbread, so this is something you need to eat more like a salad than a wrap.
The other reason why Kusafiri is overlooked is the unassuming location. It is literally a hole in the wall located in the Africa section of the park, on your left as you approach Kilimanjaro Safaries. Until we learned about it, we probably walked by it dozens of times without even realizing it.
HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS: Ronto Roasters + Kat Saka’s Kettle (Breakfast)
Whenever we are at Hollywood Studios in the morning, we always make a trip to Ronto Roasters to get their Ronto Morning Wrap. It is that good!
Located in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Ronto Roasters is a quick service spot that generally is known for one menu item: the Ronto Wrap. While the regular lunch/dinner wrap is good, we feel that the breakfast wrap is nearly perfect! It contains all of the elements of a good breakfast: sausage, eggs, bread (pita). All three elements are great separately. However, when you put them together and add some of the peppercorn sauce, you have the ultimate breakfast food.
None of the wraps are works of art. The large sausage is way out of proportion to the pita. However, one could argue that this is a good thing, since who doesn’t like having more sausage!
The lunch/dinner wrap is pretty similar except they swap out the eggs for a slaw. While the slaw is good, it is definitely a step down for wrapping the sausage in egg, like it was meant to be wrapped!
If you want to get really fancy, you can pair your breakfast wrap with a Cold Brew Black Caf from Kat Saka’s Kettle in the nearly Outpost Marketplace. This a cold brew topped with sweet cream cheese and… wait for it… Cocoa Puffs! Only a creative genius like George Lucas could come up with such crazy, decadent concoction. If go with this paired with the wrap, you now have a truly complete breakfast: eggs, sausage, bread, cereal, cream cheese, and coffee.
Personally, Buster thinks that the Ronto Morning Wrap stands well on its own. But Banshee thinks the wrap + cold brew pairing elevates this breakfast to Jedi Master status (sorry Anakin!).
So there you go…. there are our underrated quick service eateries at the WDW parks!
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